Microservices

Microservices is an architectural approach to software development that emphasizes the decomposition of an application into small, self-contained services. The services are designed to be loosely coupled, allowing for independent development, deployment, and scaling.

By breaking down an application into smaller components that are responsible for a specific business capability, microservices provide flexibility, scalability, and maintainability for complex software systems. This approach differs from monolithic architectures in which the entire application is hardwired and deployed as a single entity.

Key Features

Service Independence. Microservices are designed as independent entities that can be developed and deployed separately from each other. This independence allows for faster development cycles because each service can run independently. Individual services can be scaled up or down depending on needs. Due to service decoupling, changes or updates to one service do not require modifications to other services, which reduces the risk of unforeseen side effects..

API communications. Microservices communicate with each other using well-defined APIs. These APIs allow services to work together as a single system, sharing data and coordinating actions. By clearly defining interfaces, microservices can be developed and maintained independently of each other as long as they adhere to an agreed-upon API contract. This decoupling allows flexibility in technology choices and implementation details as long as the API contract is adhered to.

Decentralized data management. Each microservice has its own dedicated data store, reducing dependence on a central database. This decentralized approach provides autonomy and isolation for the services, as each service can choose the data storage technology best suited to its specific needs. However, managing data consistency and ensuring data integrity across multiple services can be challenging. Techniques such as event-driven consistency and event-driven architectures are often used to address these challenges.

Basic Principles

• Single Responsibility Principle (SRP). Each microservice should have a clear and specific responsibility focused on a single business opportunity.
• Isolation of failures. Microservices should be designed so that the failure of one service does not affect the entire system, providing fault isolation and fault tolerance.
• Continuous Integration and Deployment (CI/CD). The adoption of CI/CD practices helps automate the build, test, and deployment processes, enabling faster and more reliable updates to microservices.

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